With over 80 years of experience, Birch Hill Catering continues to be one of Upstate New York's most memorable wedding, social, and corporate event destinations. As the focus on how we celebrate continues to evolve, our passion, style, and creativity for every event shifts with it all while maintaining what has become known as the Birch Hill Standard.From formal sit-down affairs in a ballroom setting, to casual outdoor picnics, or even a rustic barn wedding; any one of the venues at Birch Hill Estate or Stablegate Farm are sure to capture your imagination.
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Whether you're planning a birthday party, shower, family reunion, or an anniversary party Birch Hill has endless options and menus to choose from. Our approach to menu creation is to translate your individual style onto the plate. Whether it's a family recipe or the Mom to-be's favorite snack, we can make it happen!
An oasis for your event dreams, the essence of Birch Hill Estate can be found in its variety of majestic spaces and unique features. Let your event ideas soar outside to Birch Hill's lush lawns or inside one of its grand ballrooms. Wherever your imagination lands, our experts will be there to see it through.
From the minute you arrive at Upstate New York's finest farm and vineyard venue, you will be enamored by the historic charm and rustic elegance that defines Stablegate Farm and Vineyard. There aren't many venues where you can choose from a private vineyard, a hilltop view of the Catskill mountains, a 200-year-old Dutch barn door, or a fossil stone fireplace for your Upstate New York ceremony. But at Stablegate Farm and Vineyard, we're sure that you'll find the perfect surrounding to say your "I do's" among your closest friends and family.
Reviews (17)
Tori B.
Jun 14, 2022
We got married in the conservatory ballroom at Birch Hill in April of 2022. We fell in love with the room the first time we saw it and were so happy to spend our special day at Birch Hill. Jessica Ryan was our wedding coordinator and she did an AMAZING job navigating our many questions and concerns. April weather can be pretty unpredictable and Jessica and her team made sure we had every option to have as much of our wedding outside as we could/wanted.
They were super accommodating to all dietary and mobility needs that our wedding guests had. The food was delicious and the staff at Birch Hill is unmatched. Jessica and Sarah made sure that we always had what we needed throughout the day and made sure our day ran as smoothly as possible. We didn't worry about anything the whole day! We can't recommend Birch Hill and the staff enough!
They were super accommodating to all dietary and mobility needs that our wedding guests had. The food was delicious and the staff at Birch Hill is unmatched. Jessica and Sarah made sure that we always had what we needed throughout the day and made sure our day ran as smoothly as possible. We didn't worry about anything the whole day! We can't recommend Birch Hill and the staff enough!
Erik G.
Jan 23, 2022
Kate
Dec 16, 2021
Really disappointed with my experience. I had planned a party at Birch Hill. I was very excited and it all sounded good in the beginning. But they day of the party was not what I was promised. We were suppose two servers, and head server and the planner. But only one stayed throughout the party. They didn't help set up or clean up as promised. And another party showed up to the Pavillion we were in an hour before our party was over. We all were so uncomfortable, we packed up and left. Won't ever work with this place again.
Michael S.
Dec 16, 2021
Initially, we felt planning our wedding during the pandemic would be a daunting task. Those uneasy feelings were only made worse when the events planner chose another career and left shortly after we paid a deposit. It would be nearly 3 months before we spoke with the new events planner, Jennifer W. During our first meeting with Jennifer, she assured us everything was still on schedule. She's pleasant and worked diligently to ensure our wedding day was amazing.
We initially booked the "Giant Pines" venue. However, we later decided The Stablegate Lodge was a better fit for us. Jennifer worked to accommodate our changes and ensured everything was in place.
We initially booked the "Giant Pines" venue. However, we later decided The Stablegate Lodge was a better fit for us. Jennifer worked to accommodate our changes and ensured everything was in place.
Ashley Dionne
Dec 11, 2021
Had my wedding here last summer. Beautiful place but terrible experience with staff, specifically the wedding coordinator. She didn't account for our most recently updated head count and ended up not putting out enough chairs for the ceremony, or the dinner. And then came up to me, the bride, and told me it was our fault for not doing assigned seating at dinner that ten of my guests had nowhere to sit.
And then demanded more money DURING THE RECEPTION for us "having more people then agreed on" even though we had confirmed several times in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Made for a stressful experience. Rest of staff was very friendly and accommodating, and the food was delicious. Just beware if you get paired with Jennifer Wachter.
And then demanded more money DURING THE RECEPTION for us "having more people then agreed on" even though we had confirmed several times in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Made for a stressful experience. Rest of staff was very friendly and accommodating, and the food was delicious. Just beware if you get paired with Jennifer Wachter.
David S.
May 31, 2021
Overall, we are extremely grateful to Birch Hill for their flexibility throughout the planning process. We were married during COVID and after switching locations multiple times, were able to ensure a space on the premises for us to hold our special day. With little turnaround time, the Birch Hill Team helped make the day happen. The outdoor space is absolutely beautiful, and our entire family felt cared for and supported by the phenomenal staff. We are overall very happy with our wedding with Birch Hill. We would recommend holding your special event here, especially the outdoor space!
Daniela Silva
May 24, 2021
I had my wedding here and this place was absolutely perfect. Jessica was amazing I had so many last minute changes and the weather ruined our original plans but it was still beautiful. I highly recommend this location for the views but the food was truly euphoric. My guests loved all of the food. Thank you Birch Hill for giving me my dream wedding!
Robyn P.
Jan 27, 2021
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars. Sarah Connor our planner from Birch Hill was 5 stars all around so planning our wedding was easy and she took very good care of our table personally for the reception. I received some complaints from my family after the reception of not getting refills on the appetizer after asking and some of the chicken being very under cooked.
For example my dad had white chicken all the way through but my moms was almost raw in the middle. The corn bread was also inconsistent, the first batch was fantastic but later batches were undercooked goop. The wait staff didn't tell people what the food was so some people didn't realize the pretzels had delicious beer cheese and it wasn't always located next to the pretzels, some tables had the cesear dressing next to them.
They also didn't state the food on the buffet line while scooping, the macaroni and cheese was delicious but some people did not get it because they thought it was macaroni salad. The bartender was great and made drinks quickly.
For example my dad had white chicken all the way through but my moms was almost raw in the middle. The corn bread was also inconsistent, the first batch was fantastic but later batches were undercooked goop. The wait staff didn't tell people what the food was so some people didn't realize the pretzels had delicious beer cheese and it wasn't always located next to the pretzels, some tables had the cesear dressing next to them.
They also didn't state the food on the buffet line while scooping, the macaroni and cheese was delicious but some people did not get it because they thought it was macaroni salad. The bartender was great and made drinks quickly.
Katy Salmon
Dec 21, 2020
I definitely think our experience is worth sharing so other couples do not have to do through what we did: Our experience did start out positive. The sales team is very friendly and Sarah was very responsive. We booked our wedding in mid-March, right before the Covid-19 shutdowns. For various reasons, we picked a date in July, just 4 short months away, and it was the last date the venue had available after someone else canceled the date the same week we inquired.
We didn't want to cancel our wedding but after reviewing all of our options, it was the best one for us. Our guests would be traveling from 5+ states, some of the guests would be considered high risk, a family business is involved and so on. Birch Hill offered to postpone the wedding. We did not feel like 2020 was a safe bet due to the circumstances, nor were there any other Saturdays available.
If we were to move the wedding to 2021 we would forfeit our deposit and the per person cost would increase. Not very accommodating. For all these reasons plus some, we did not think postponing was an option for us. We were passed onto the owner, Steven, who was incredibly rude and talked down to me over the phone. They are treating all couples as the same, instead of case by case.
We thoroughly explained our situation and it did not matter. Steven showed no hospitality and instead accused us of underpaying our deposit, explained how much money he lost for holding the date for us, and to consider my deposit to cover my one email chain and one phone call with the salesperson. Mind you, we paid online and the venue set the amount to be paid, we were a short term booking, and I sincerely hope Sarah is making as much as Steven claims she is!
All in all I am glad to not be giving this business more money. I am not typically a person to let things get to me, but Steven had me in tears on the phone. He was so rude and I cannot believe he is running a hospitality business. My fiance had a call with him after me and was also astonished with how he is choosing to handle this and treat his customers.
We understand everyone is impacted by the current situation, but we are incredibly disappointed we could not come to some mutual agreement regarding our deposit, instead of Birch Hill choosing to keep 100% of it.
We didn't want to cancel our wedding but after reviewing all of our options, it was the best one for us. Our guests would be traveling from 5+ states, some of the guests would be considered high risk, a family business is involved and so on. Birch Hill offered to postpone the wedding. We did not feel like 2020 was a safe bet due to the circumstances, nor were there any other Saturdays available.
If we were to move the wedding to 2021 we would forfeit our deposit and the per person cost would increase. Not very accommodating. For all these reasons plus some, we did not think postponing was an option for us. We were passed onto the owner, Steven, who was incredibly rude and talked down to me over the phone. They are treating all couples as the same, instead of case by case.
We thoroughly explained our situation and it did not matter. Steven showed no hospitality and instead accused us of underpaying our deposit, explained how much money he lost for holding the date for us, and to consider my deposit to cover my one email chain and one phone call with the salesperson. Mind you, we paid online and the venue set the amount to be paid, we were a short term booking, and I sincerely hope Sarah is making as much as Steven claims she is!
All in all I am glad to not be giving this business more money. I am not typically a person to let things get to me, but Steven had me in tears on the phone. He was so rude and I cannot believe he is running a hospitality business. My fiance had a call with him after me and was also astonished with how he is choosing to handle this and treat his customers.
We understand everyone is impacted by the current situation, but we are incredibly disappointed we could not come to some mutual agreement regarding our deposit, instead of Birch Hill choosing to keep 100% of it.
Theresa Kramm
Nov 05, 2020
In this year of COVID-19, we decided to pare down our guest list for our daughter's wedding and change the venue to our house. Birch Hill was fantastic to work with - they were flexible in this oddest of years and worked with us to make it a very memorable experience! Jessica, Jordan & Gage did a fantastic job and were so responsive and helpful - impeccable service.
The setup was beautiful and they helped us make the quick decision to have the ceremony and reception outside and said they would only need a few minutes to move everything inside if it did rain - it didn't and we had a fantastic, outside, October wedding! The food was delicious and the choices for beer, wine and soda were great. We would definitely recommend to our friends and family to use Birch Hill!
The setup was beautiful and they helped us make the quick decision to have the ceremony and reception outside and said they would only need a few minutes to move everything inside if it did rain - it didn't and we had a fantastic, outside, October wedding! The food was delicious and the choices for beer, wine and soda were great. We would definitely recommend to our friends and family to use Birch Hill!
Ben P.
Jun 22, 2020
In June 2019 my fiance and I contracted with Birch Hill for a traditional wedding with 150 guests. When the Coronavirus closed down wedding venues for the foreseeable future, Birch Hill couldn't promise to provide the traditional wedding we had contracted for. When we asked for a guarantee that Birch Hill could provide the wedding as contracted for, they wouldn't do it and therefore we asked for a refund of the money we had deposited. Birch Hill has refused to refund our deposits and continues to do so, even though they can't fulfill their side of the contract.
To make matters worse, they informed us they were in the right in refusing to return our deposits and told us if we didn't believe them to check the language of our contract on their wedding portal. Subsequently, we opened our contract in the portal and found that Birch Hill had substituted a new contract which was vastly different than the original one we signed back in June 2019.
The new contract was much more favorable to Birch Hill's position on the issue of their inability to perform on the contract. When we brought to their attention the fact the contract had been drastically changed, Birch Hill apologized and said there must have been a computer glitch. Thankfully, we safe kept a copy of our original contract, otherwise we would have been left to the mercy of an organization which could have done such a thing.
Since Birch Hill refuses to return our deposit, even though they can't provide the wedding we contracted for, we have had to retain an attorney to seek legal redress. This has already been a devastating experience for us, and Birch Hill's refusal to properly refund the money we deposited has made matters worse. We are stunned that a business involved in the hospitality industry would treat us this way.
To make matters worse, they informed us they were in the right in refusing to return our deposits and told us if we didn't believe them to check the language of our contract on their wedding portal. Subsequently, we opened our contract in the portal and found that Birch Hill had substituted a new contract which was vastly different than the original one we signed back in June 2019.
The new contract was much more favorable to Birch Hill's position on the issue of their inability to perform on the contract. When we brought to their attention the fact the contract had been drastically changed, Birch Hill apologized and said there must have been a computer glitch. Thankfully, we safe kept a copy of our original contract, otherwise we would have been left to the mercy of an organization which could have done such a thing.
Since Birch Hill refuses to return our deposit, even though they can't provide the wedding we contracted for, we have had to retain an attorney to seek legal redress. This has already been a devastating experience for us, and Birch Hill's refusal to properly refund the money we deposited has made matters worse. We are stunned that a business involved in the hospitality industry would treat us this way.
Kate H.
Aug 18, 2019
I'm on the events committee for my office and we're responsible for planning our summer picnic. Imagine trying to plan a picnic for an incredibly diverse population who live in and around the capital region, making sure that there's enough to do, the food is tasty, the drives not too long and it's not too expensive, it's a pretty difficult task. We've done Saratoga county for 5 years straight and I thought we should diversify so we looked at Birch Hill and planned our 2018 picnic there. Sarah was a gem to work with, the food was plentiful and tasty and the staff was great.
It was so good that we went ahead and booked our 2019 picnic there too. This year, no one had a single complaint. You have no idea how rare that is for 150 people to all like the same place. We'd book here again but we've got to move to another county next year. Sadly I don't think we could replicate the experience.
It was so good that we went ahead and booked our 2019 picnic there too. This year, no one had a single complaint. You have no idea how rare that is for 150 people to all like the same place. We'd book here again but we've got to move to another county next year. Sadly I don't think we could replicate the experience.
Emily G.
Aug 02, 2018
This is more or less constructive criticism. I have not tasted the food here nor been to a Birch Hill event. I was looking to have a wedding here. After touring the grounds I noticed a lot of negatives that can be easily fixed. I would've had one here if it wasn't for the shotty pavement, the smell of the rugs and the lack of landscaping around the main building.
For an expensive wedding venue, I'd expect those issues to be top priority. Other issues for people not familiar with Birch Hill that aren't an easy fix is the highway next to the outside ceremony spot, the large distance from the ceremony spot to the main ballrooms and the extensive amount of goose poop that they "try their best to clean up". I loved the inside and certain aspects of the grounds. But it just wasn't enough to outweigh all the cons.
For an expensive wedding venue, I'd expect those issues to be top priority. Other issues for people not familiar with Birch Hill that aren't an easy fix is the highway next to the outside ceremony spot, the large distance from the ceremony spot to the main ballrooms and the extensive amount of goose poop that they "try their best to clean up". I loved the inside and certain aspects of the grounds. But it just wasn't enough to outweigh all the cons.
Nigel Robinson
Dec 19, 2017
I had the pleasure of working with Birch Hill to plan our fraternity's 150th founder's day formal and it was a very special one indeed. They were very accommodating to all of our needs, wants and concerns. The food was prepared to perfection and the ballroom that we were in was especially elegant. We are set to hold our next founder's day formal at Birch Hill Catering next year as well.
Heidi C.
Oct 14, 2013
I was so excited to attend a wedding here after seeing the pictures online. What a disappointment. Yes it is a beautiful location but that is it. The food was terrible. I had what was suppose to be Jack Daniels chicken it turned out to be chicken stuffed with squash and all you could taste was nutmeg and the mashed potatoes were like paste. For the price to have a wedding here I would expect to at least offer my guests better food. If your a guest at a wedding here full up on horderves which were at least edible but not great.
Victor K.
Apr 24, 2013
Came here for a banquet and have to say for its location off I-90, this was quite a fancy place. It is a tough drive to get to especially at night where there's virtually no light posts on any of the joining roads. However once you get to the place, you're greeted by a well kept lawn that's almost like a country club with a fountain right in front complete with a gazebo.
The room for the banquet was nicely set up by Birch Hill with the place setting for horderves, a chocolate fondue station and a fully stocked bar. Wait staff and bartenders were quick and helpful, promptly clearing away plates and utensils and bringing in food. They quickly turned the horderves over to desserts in a blink of an eye. So nice place for a banquet and we were almost separated from the other event that was going on down the hallway so we didn't have any overlap. Looking over their website it looks like they can do just about anything for any gatherings. Oh and one random thing, they had peacocks around the building!
The room for the banquet was nicely set up by Birch Hill with the place setting for horderves, a chocolate fondue station and a fully stocked bar. Wait staff and bartenders were quick and helpful, promptly clearing away plates and utensils and bringing in food. They quickly turned the horderves over to desserts in a blink of an eye. So nice place for a banquet and we were almost separated from the other event that was going on down the hallway so we didn't have any overlap. Looking over their website it looks like they can do just about anything for any gatherings. Oh and one random thing, they had peacocks around the building!
Rob B.
Aug 14, 2011
We had our wedding reception here last May, and they did a terrific job. They met with us several times prior to the wedding to ensure that both us and them were on track as far as planning and getting the details down. When the day came everything was perfect from the decor to the service to the food. We were so happy we decided to celebrate our wedding here.
Early in the year, I think around March-April sometime, they have a wedding expo so you can go in there, sample their food, meet the staff and check out the rooms. They also have tons of vendors so you can personally meet and even book their services right there. It's very convenient and the expo costs nothing.
Early in the year, I think around March-April sometime, they have a wedding expo so you can go in there, sample their food, meet the staff and check out the rooms. They also have tons of vendors so you can personally meet and even book their services right there. It's very convenient and the expo costs nothing.
